Susceptibility of Leucothoe, Hybrid Rhododendron, and Azalea to Cylindrocladium scoparium and C. theae. Frances Mims, Former Graduate Student, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27650. D. M. Benson, and R. K. Jones, Associate Professors, Department of Plant Pathology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27650. Plant Dis. 65:353-354. Copyright 1981 American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-65-353.

Cylindrocladium scoparium was isolated from naturally infected Rainbow leucothoe with necrotic leaf spots, wilted leaves, and shoot dieback. Conidial suspensions of C. scoparium infected intact leucothoe, hybrid rhododendron, and Hershey Red azalea. Wound-inoculated leucothoe plants were killed in 20 days. Cylindrocladium theae, isolated from hybrid rhododendron, caused lesions on stems, petioles, and leaves of 8-mo-old hybrid rhododendron within 3 days of inoculation. Both C. scoparium and C. theae caused typical dark brown leaf spots with purple to red margins on Hershey Red azalea. C. theae infected wounded but not intact Rainbow leucothoe plants.